


Pay Attention

by imperialimpala



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 15:07:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3072428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imperialimpala/pseuds/imperialimpala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jake/Cassandra prompts from Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Red

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr, same name as here, and I figured I'd attempt a drabble collection because I'm officially obsessed with these two.

Black…black and warm. The space she’d woken up in was cramped and unfamiliar. Warmth was red was one, one dimensional, a never-ending line on a plane leading everywhere and nowhere. Red was heat and flame, she smelled smoke…sweet smoke, it was hard to breathe.

"Cassie," a rough voice called to her from too close, too warm, yet too far away. Worried, "Cassie, Cassandra!"

"Sweet like pie pie pie, burning, 3.1415926535897-"

"Cassie, hey listen kid, I need you to breathe."

"Jake?" Cassandra questioned, her voice high pitched and frightened, her hand gripping a piece of fabric that was apparently attached to a person, that person being Jake Stone, who was currently lying nearly on top of her for some reason. "I c-can’t. Pie…is irrational, 9323846 and I’m p-panicking!"

Jake was red. No one had ever been red before, no one except him.

"Shh, shh, shh, I know…just focus on me, alright? Focus on my voice." he replied, his body moving slightly so his voice came from above her. She could feel as his chest moved with measured breaths while hers continued on, erratically beating out its own tune.

"264338, I don’t know what…it smells sweet-"

"That’s real! I mean, I smell that too."

"You do?" Cassandra asked as she recoiled slightly, momentarily overcome by the scent. Even with her eyes shut once more, she could still feel Jake nod.

"Yeah, I think they knocked you out with chloroform." his reply was stiff and laced with something she could only describe as frustration and maybe a little bit of anger. He was mad on her behalf. "I’m pretty sure my kidnappin’ was more of the traditional ‘hit ‘em really hard over the head’ type."

"CHCl3. Colorless, sweet odor…formerly used as an anesthetic, such usage was discovered by Sir James Young Simpson in 1847-"

"Cassandra," Jake interrupted, voice calm and steady, just like the rest of him. 

"Wedding March," she whispered, her fingers beating the rhythm into his chest.

"Composer Felix Mendelssohn, died November 4th 1847." he provided for her, covering her hand with his own, stilling her movements. "Breathe."

His touch was warm, warmer, “Red, like apples…wait.” Cassandra could feel his heartbeat beneath her palm like violins. She took a breath.

"Ok."

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"Not too long….What’s the memory Cassie?"

She could almost feel his eyes as they searched for her face in the dark, her cheeks were burning, “The lights in the power-plant, they flashed red when I had the apple….When you caught me, your hands were warm.”

His heart suddenly beat faster beneath her fingertips. 

Cassandra took another deep breath, finally able to truly breathe. They both fell silent for a moment, her hand still covered by his as she caught her breath.

"Where are we?" she asked when the almost silence, filled with nothing but their breathing, combined with the feel of him became too much.

Jake cleared his throat, “I believe we’re in the trunk of a car that’s been parked for sometime.”

She smiled, “Oh, well why didn’t you say so? I know how to get out of the trunk of a car.”

Jake’s laugh was red too.


	2. Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from anonymous: the librarians gang somehow end up in Jake's home town and his family absolutely adores Cassandra and keep pushing jake towards her OR his family already thinks they're a couple

“Looks like Cousin Jimmy has taken a likin' to your girl Jake.” his sister commented, gazing out the window as she handed him another glass to dry. Jake's cousin was leaning suggestively over Cassandra to pour himself another glass of beer while Eve and Ezekiel sat across from them with matching grins. Once his glass was full, Jimmy straddled the picnic bench and began twirling a piece of Cassandra's hair, not that she seemed to mind. "Where in the world did you find these people?"

Coming here had been a mistake, “She's not my girl Nancy.” Jake grunted in reply, annoyed for some reason he couldn't place. 

His sister's eyes, so like his own, twinkled with mischief, “If you say so little brother.” 

The team needed some research Jake had written in regards to the ceiling of The Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo of course, because they'd already broken into the Vatican too many times. Grabbing a few of his unpublished works just seemed a lot easier than getting arrested. Unfortunately, Jenkins ended up overshooting Jake's house by a couple miles and they'd coincidentally arrived in the middle of his nephew's birthday party. The kid was so happy to see his Uncle Jake, who already felt guilty at having forgotten, that Jake didn't have the heart to leave. Now, with the kids asleep and the alcohol aplenty, he wished he had. 

“What's that supposed to mean?” Jake asked, leaning against the damp counter to get a better look at Nancy's face. 

Nancy shut off the water, “Nothin' Jacob, just forget I said anything.” Jimmy pulled Cassandra to her feet, who screeched giddily as the pair joined the rest of his dancing relatives. “She seems like a nice girl is all. You could do with a little bit of nice.” his sister added typically as she dried her hands. 

“Yeah, she's nice alright.” and secretly ruthless, not that he was going to tell Nancy that. 

“Did you know she helped Nathan out with his science project earlier? Bless her heart the kid took a shine to her, talked her ear off...told me he was gonna get an A++ when I put him to bed. He even asked me if you could marry her so she can come 'round more often.” Nancy said with a laugh. Jake stared as Jimmy spun Cassandra, her cheeks as red as her hair, and he felt Nancy staring at him in return. “Seems like you're puttin' a lot of work into not likin' her.” 

Jake turned to his sister, “I like her just fine.” he replied, slightly taken aback not only by her words, but by how defensive his voice sounded to his own ears. 

“Yeah, just like you like everybody else. 'Cept, I've never seen you look at anyone the way you look at her when you think no one is watchin'.” Nancy said with a sigh. As she went to leave the kitchen, she turned back to him, “You're allowed to be happy Jacob. It's all any of us want for you.” 

\---------

Jimmy dipped Cassandra and she turned her head just in time to see Jake coming their way. She felt her smile grow with each step he took, Jimmy was nice and everything, but he wasn't Jake. 

Speaking of, “May I...ah, cut in?” Jake asked after poking his cousin in the shoulder, his other hand scratching the back of his head. 

“Nah cuz, go get your own dance partner.” Jimmy replied drunkenly, Cassandra was still shocked that he was able to stand let alone dance as well as he had been. 

Jake smacked him upside the head playfully, “Get out of here Jimmy.”

Cassandra tried to keep from laughing as Jimmy shuffled away from them, muttering about never getting to dance with the pretty girls when Jake was around. Jake took her hand in his, but Cassandra hesitated, “Excuse me, but I'm allowed to dance with whom ever I wish.” 

“Seriously?” Jake sighed even though a small smile began to light up his face. Honestly, his behavior was throwing her off a little bit. 

“Yeah, seriously. Now, until you can ask nicely, I'm going to go have a drink.” Cassandra began to walk away only to be pulled back into Jake's embrace, they were so close she could feel his breath as it danced across her lips. 

“Will you please dance with me?” Jake asked, his blue eyes staring into hers. This Jake was completely new to her. 

Mouth dry, she nodded. Cassandra didn't know why, but there was something in his eyes and in the way he held himself that made her think he was trying to prove a point to someone, who that person was she didn't know. 

It took a moment, but she soon settled into his arms, looping her own around his neck when the music turned slow. She couldn't help the nervous feeling that filled her chest whenever she looked at his face, so Cassandra kept her eyes on the ground. 

“I'm sorry if-”

“Your family-”

They both spoke at the same time, sharing a laugh a moment later. 

“You go first.” Cassandra said, finally looking up with a smile, she could feel her cheeks burning. 

“I'm sorry if Jimmy was bothering you.” 

“He wasn't. He's harmless. Besides, your family seems really nice.” Cassandra replied. 

“They can be I guess. If you like rednecks and good old boys that is.” Jake muttered against her neck, his scruff tickling her bare skin. 

“Well, they helped make you who you are, so they can't be so bad.” 

They both went quiet as they swayed to the the music. Cassandra's right hand fell to Jake's chest as she rested her head on his shoulder. It wasn't long before one of the hands Jake had rested on her waist came up to hold her hand against his heart. 

Cassandra sighed heavily for a moment, overcome with a mixture of feelings for the man holding her in his arms. She'd hurt him and she still wasn't sure how she was going to do it, but she knew that one day, she'd make it up to him. 

“Cassie,” Jake said, clearing his throat. 

“Hmm,” she replied, too afraid to say anything else.

“Ya know I like you right?” he asked, his voice full of uncertainty, “I care about ya.” 

“Jake, you don't have to-”

From somewhere near them, a camera flashed. Startled, they jumped apart and saw Nathan, the birthday boy who just turned 8, holding a camera. As it turned out, Jake and Cassandra were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't notice that they were the only ones still dancing. 

“What are you doin' up kiddo?” Jake asked, his voice still rough with emotion, the sound causing Cassandra's heart to skip a beat. “And why do you have a camera?”

Nathan's hands lowered, taking the camera with them, “Nothing,” Jake and Cassandra waited for the young boy to say something while he tried to hide the camera in the folds of his pajamas, “I just thought...you might want a picture is all, for when you and Cassie get married.” Jake's eye's went wide while Cassandra's blush grew, it wasn't until Jake smiled that she realized it was ok to laugh. Nathan smiled back. 

“Jake and Cassandra sitting in a tree,” Ezekiel's voice started from across the yard, Eve tried to slap him, but he dodged it. “K-I-S-S-I-N-G”

“Come here you,” Jake said taking a step turned Nathan, who backed up with a smile. 

“Quick, Nate. Throw it here!” Ezekiel called gesturing wildly that the child should throw him the camera causing Jake to change course. 

“Ah come on Stone, we're just in love with your love.”

“Shut up,” Jake replied as he tried to catch the thief while Cassandra, Eve and the rest of Jake's family laughed as the two idiots chased each other around the yard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never said I wasn't an extremely corny fluffy person ok.


	3. Dangerous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Capitanarrow on tumblr posted this wonderful plot bunny: Cassandra is presented with the choice of keeping her Merlin powers and be live forever, with the only condition that she has to stay away from The Librarians ESPECIALLY Jake. But since she’s in love with Jake, she’s struggles with the idea of a)living forever but away from him and b)living without the powers and wait for he upcoming death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned into something that I asked to do, then thought a lot about how to approach, to the point where it's probably barely even fulfilling this prompt. Why was a very big question for me. 
> 
> I don't have an actual beta just a couple friends, Kayla and Cassie, who read these over for me while I go crazy writing them. 
> 
> This, other than a few jokes that my tired brain added, ignores the finale.

“Well, well, well, aren't you in a bit of a pickle?” Dulaque said with his cool voice and evil grin as he twirled the thin piece of wood between his fingers. 

Merlin's wand, finding it had become sort of a private quest for her ever since....

“You can't control it can you?” Dulaque asked tauntingly, his eyes drinking in the aura that was radiating around her, “Magic is a fickle beast when placed in the wrong hands-”

Cassandra sent a beam of magic towards him and Dulaque didn't even blink as it flew past his shoulder and nearly destroyed the wall behind him, “Give it to me Dulaque.” Cassandra whispered, her voice filled with rage. 

Ever since the moment that little girl in fairytale town turned her into Merlin, the residual magic that remained within her only seemed to grow. With each new opportunity, Cassandra became more powerful almost without even realizing it. She was at the end of the transformation before she even knew there had been a middle. 

Her magic became so much of who she was that it was impossible to hide and Cassandra loved it, the power, she never wanted to give it up, but she was dangerous to everyone around her. She'd hurt them Eve, Ezekiel, Jenkins...Jake and she hadn't even meant too, it just happened. Not that they blamed her, or even knew it was her fault, but that didn't make it alright. 

“Now why would I ever do that?” Dulaque clicked his tongue as he paced the floor of the dungeon they were standing in, “Why would I have you tamper such raw power with something as overrated as control?” 

“I don't want control, I want it gone. I've hurt people I care about, please-”

“My dear girl, we've all hurt people, it's nothing to be upset over. Though, in my case, the amount of pain I've caused is actually quite extraordinary.”

Cassandra stood her ground, hand wrapping firmly around her torch, utterly aware of how alone she was, “I'm not afraid to hurt you if I have too.”

“Oh, I've no doubt....Desperation, it's what makes you more fun than the others.”

“I need that wand.”

“Need? That may be true, but what is it you want?” Dulaque's eyes were filled with a knowing look that left Cassandra cold.

“Please, don't make me do this.” Cassandra pleaded even as she lifted her hand, sure this time her aim would be true. 

“Now now my dear, how about we make this interesting?” Dulaque replied as he motioned toward the darkness, in the direction of the only exit. A moment later, faces emerged from the black, a small group of men carrying something, Lamia leading them. It wasn't until they tossed their cargo on the floor in front of their leader that she realized it was a person. 

No. 

“Jake!” Cassandra shouted, rushing forward only to stop in her tracks the moment Dulaque pointed Merlin's wand at Jake's prone form with a laugh. 

“Did you really think no one would follow you?” Lamia said with a smile, “I say, for librarians, you lot are rather stupid.” 

“Leave him alone!” Cassandra shot another beam of magic toward Lamia, who just narrowly dodged it and collided with one of her goons. 

The noise was so loud, Jake began to stir, letting out a low moan that sounded suspiciously like her name. 

“Just let me kill her.” Lamia shouted as she unsheathed her katana stepping forward.

“I'd love to see you to try.” Cassandra replied, closing the space between them.

“Shut up!” Only when silence filled in the space around them once more did Dulaque turn to Cassandra, “Do that again and I'll make sure Mr. Stone's fabulous hair is the only thing left of him for you to bury.” 

“Why are you doing this? And where are the others?” Cassandra asked, her cheeks burning with anger. 

“They'll be dealt with soon enough.” Lamia snarled, leveling her katana with Cassandra's chest only for Dulaque to bat the blade away. 

“As for why....Well, you could say, we want you on our team.” Dulaque added with a serpent's smile. 

“And why would I ever do that?” 

“Evil has it's perks. Power...eternal life-”

“Cassie,” Jake said from the floor as he tried to sit up, for a moment Cassandra's eyes couldn't focus on anything but him. “Don't-”

“And if that doesn't work for you, I can think of another reasons.” Dulaque replied as he grabbed Jake by the hair, yanking roughly, Jake defiantly refused to cry out as Dulaque pulled him to his feet with a surprising show of strength. “Now, you can either give up this foolish quest to rid yourself of your magic of your own freewill or I'll kill him and take you by force.” 

“Don't listen to him Cassandra!” Jake snapped as he struggled against Dulaque's grip, “He's lying to you-”

Dulaque practically stabbed Jake in the throat with Merlin's wand, cutting off his speech as his gaze fell to Cassandra “Tick tock dearie, I don't have all day.”

Jake's blue eyes seemed to stare into her soul, his head shaking while tears fell down her cheeks. How could she possibly leave him? She swallowed hard, ignoring growing hollowness in her chest as she tried to breathe. “If I go with you, you'll let him go?” 

“As long as you do as we wish, blah blah blah. I'll let them go, blah blah. Dramatic ultimatum, you can never see them again or I'll have you all assassinated...blah.”

“He's lying to you, you know that Cassie. You know as soon as you go with them, we're all as good as dead.” Jake said stoically, his gaze never once leaving her face. 

“Normally, that would be true, but telling the truth is a nasty business and you've caught me on an off day.”

“What choice do I have?” Cassandra spoke with a small voice to no one but Jake. “I can't let you die Jake, I-” She couldn't say it, not even now...not after everything. It felt too much like an ending and she didn't have the strength for that 

“Bloody hell, can we just get this over with already?” Lamia huffed from the sidelines while her men took up positions around Cassandra. “Professions of love always bore me. They're so cliché.”

“Hush now Lamia, I believe Ms. Cillian was about to come to a decision.” Dulaque reprimanded even as he tightened his hold on Jake, who only fought harder to get free. 

“GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE CASSIE!”

She didn't want to let Jake down again, but there was no choice to make so Cassandra closed her eyes for a long moment and took a deep breath in an effort to calm down. It didn't work, “I'm so sorry.” was all she said, her torch falling to the ground in defeat. 

“NO!” Jake shouted furiously as the members of the Serpent Brotherhood surrounded Cassandra. 

They bound her hands behind her back, she screamed when the metal burned her wrists, “Enchanted irons, a bit of insurance you see. They'll drain most of your strength, but I'm afraid that can't be helped.” Dulaque said as his goons began to walk her out of the dungeon. Looking back, Cassandra could see that Dulaque had joined them, leaving Lamia to deal with Jake. 

“Excuse me a moment.” The group barely moved before Dulaque paused, “Lamia, be a dear and kill him for me-”

“WHAT?!” Cassandra screamed as she tried to pull herself free, the fact that her hands were bound behind her was throwing off her balance, “You said- you said you would let him go.”

“I lied.” 

She could hear the beginnings of a struggle, but with all of the bodies around her hurrying her along, she couldn't see what was going on. Cassandra screamed in frustration as she tried to pull her hands free, only for the metal to bite into her skin even deeper. And no matter how hard she tried, Cassandra couldn't summon an ounce of magic.

She couldn't get to him, he was going to die and it was all going to be her fault. “JAKE!”

Suddenly, there was a bunch of commotion from the opposite end of the corridor they were traveling down, the men in front of her were trying to move backward and away from something. A moment later, said something exploded, knocking Cassandra and several others to the ground. Once the smoke cleared, after what felt like several minutes, a figure appeared at the end of the hall, followed by another...and they were bickering. 

“What if one of them had been in here Flynn?” a female voice said, if Cassandra's ears weren't ringing, she'd almost be positive that the voice belonged to Colonel Baird, but seeing as they were she couldn't be sure. 

“I figured the element of surprise was worth it.”

“Worth what exactly? Death?”

“I...ok yeah, I could've planned that better.” the male voice replied as he kicked one of the goons in the face. 

“Ya think?”

“Oi!” a third voice interrupted as another figure joined the pair, “Would you two quit flirting so we can get this over with.” This time, Cassandra could tell who was speaking. 

“Ezekiel?” she called weakly, lifting her head off of the body that had cushioned her fall as she tried to kick something or someone off of her, seeing as she didn't have the use of her arms, it was kind of difficult. The manacles around her wrists seemed to drain more of her energy the longer they were on. 

“Cass?!” he replied as he hurried toward her, wasting no time in helping her to her feet, “Are you alright?” 

“Yes, I'm fine, but someone needs to find Jake, to make sure he's alright. Ezekiel, now, someone needs to go now.” She could feel the panic within her spilling out, but she couldn't help it. 

“But-”

“Ezekiel, I'm fine!” she snapped before he could say anything else. She knew Jacob and Ezekiel weren't exactly friends, but she didn't have time to deal with that. 

“Alright alright, calm down.”

“Cassandra? What's going on?” Eve asked as soon as she caught up with them, Flynn by her side. 

“Dulaque told Lamia to kill Jake,” Cassandra replied in a rush as she tried to climb over the rubble and bodies, some of which were regaining consciousness only to quickly lose it again once her group reached them. Caught off guard, she stumbled when one of them tried to grab her ankle. She kicked him, the act throwing her even more off balance, but thankfully Ezekiel was there to catch her. 

“Dulaque? Why does that name sound familiar?” Flynn muttered as he and Eve followed them. The obstacles in their path were making the journey back to the dungeon overly long. 

“Where is Dulaque?” Eve called from somewhere behind Cassandra. 

“Here...somewhere.” In all honesty, Cassandra didn't care at all about where Dulaque was, Jake was the only thing on her mind and with Ezekiel's help, she eventually made it back to where this had all started. Unfortunately for them, given the explosion and Cassandra's blasts from earlier it seemed as though the place was about to cave in, as evidenced by the debris that rained down around them.

But somehow, Jake was still alive, weaponless and injured in the middle of a fight to the death with an assassin, but alive. Cassandra nearly cried at the sight of him. 

“It's nothing personal sweetie,” Lamia said as she kicked Jake hard in the stomach. “I actually quite enjoy you.”

“The feeling is no longer mutual.” Jake replied as he tried to dodge a swing of Lamia's katana, the blade tearing his shirt. 

Cassandra didn't know what to do, she couldn't just stand there, but shouting 'watch out', definitely didn't seem like the best idea. Though, when a large piece of ceiling appeared dangerously close to falling where Jake stood, she couldn't help herself, “Jake! Watch out!” slipped out of her mouth and a moment later his eyes found hers just before he looked up and moved out of the way. 

Lamia wasn't so lucky. 

“Is she dead?” Ezekiel asked a minute or so later when the dust cleared enough for them to see Lamia's prone form on the dungeon floor. 

“I have no idea.” Cassandra replied heavily, by this point Ezekiel's grip on her arm was the only thing keeping her upright and somehow she didn't think he was strong enough to fully support even her slight weight. If she was going down, he was coming with her. 

Thankfully, Jake was by her side a moment later, wrapping her in his arms. “Don't you dare do that ever again. You hear me?”

His voice sounded so tired and desperate and filled with emotion that Cassandra could feel it in her bones. “Ok.”she said with a nod as she breathed him in, she didn't trust herself enough to say anything else. 

“There's no sign of...what's his name.” Flynn said as he and Eve finally caught up to them. 

“Dulaque.” Eve supplied with frustration.

“Why does that sound so familiar? This is gonna irritate me for weeks.” 

“Seriously, Flynn? Now's really not the time.” Eve said before turning to the rest of them. “We need to get the hell out of here....Cassandra? You ok?”

Cassandra didn't have enough time to reply before she collapsed fully against Jake. Her wrists felt like they were on fire and it seemed like it was the only thing she still had enough strength to feel. 

“Cassie?! Cassandra?” Jake shouted frantically as tried to keep her upright, his hands cupping her cheeks, “What's happening?”

“Wrists,” she mumbled in reply, her eyes too heavy to open. 

“What the hell are those things?” Jake asked no one in particular. 

“I don't know.” Ezekiel replied, “They look like really old handcuffs.”

“Get them off of her!” 

Cassandra couldn't really tell what was happening, but she cried out when someone, Ezekiel, twisted her wrists. “Sorry, sorry...” he said contritely. She didn't know what he was doing, but she knew it was taking too much time. Finally, the thief spoke, “I...I can't get them open.”

“What?!” Eve asked. 

“I mean there's a lock and I can't get it to unlock.”

“They're enchanted.” Flynn said obviously, at this point Cassandra was barely conscious enough to follow their conversation. 

“I'm a thief not a bloody magician mate.” 

Flynn ignored him, “You can't get them off without the key-”

“Looking for this?” a voice supplied from across the room. A voice Cassandra was sure belonged to-

“You bastard,” Jake replied menacingly and suddenly, Cassandra felt herself being lifted, Jake's arm's holding her tightly to him,“Give us the god damn key.” 

“Maybe...if you ask nicely.” Dulaque replied, his voice strong over the growing din. 

“Give us the key or I swear to god I will shoot you.” Eve shouted as the dungeon came closer and closer to collapsing in on itself and burying them with it. Even with her eyes closed, Cassandra knew the Guardian's gun was raised. 

“I had hoped we would've had her out of here by the time this happened. They won't kill her you see, but they do make her markedly less dangerous.”

Dangerous, Cassandra couldn't help the small whimper that left her at the word, but it only made Jake hold her tighter. 

A shot went off, “Next time, I won't miss.” Eve said with certainty. 

“My offer still stands my dear.” Dulaque continued, ignoring Eve as he spoke directly to her, “Eternal life, power...you need only switch sides.” 

And with that, Cassandra blacked out. 

When she came to sometime later, it was with a gasp. Her arms were sore, but when she looked down, she was surprised to see that there were no burn marks on her wrists. 

“Hey, take it easy.” 

“Ezekiel?” she asked and a moment later, her eyes landed on the man in question who was sitting on the edge of the bed she'd somehow ended up in. Looking around, she was fully aware of familiar and yet unfamiliar the room they were in was, “Where-”

“The hell are we? It's actually kind of cool. Apparently, the Annex has a Room of Requirement...or at least something very similar.” 

“How long-”

“About two days.”

“Where are-”

“The others-”

“Are you going to let me finish any of my questions?” Cassandra asked with a laugh.

“What can I say? Jenkins told me that you needed a lot of rest. So, why should you really have to ask what I already know you're going to ask?” Ezekiel replied, getting to his feet, “Anyway, Eve and Flynn are out doing whatever it is that they do and this one,” he walked toward a couch in the corner of the room that was currently home to a sleeping Jake, “Has not left your side.” the thief finished knowingly. 

Cassandra felt her cheeks burn as with surprising gentleness, Ezekiel shook Jake, whose eyes shot open at the touch. Ezekiel merely nodded to where she was before leaving with nothing but a simple wave goodbye. 

“Hey.” Jake started, his voice rough with sleep as he rubbed his hands across his face which was covered in what was apparently two day old stubble. 

“Hey.” she replied back in a small voice as she tried to sit up. Neither one said anything and only when the silence stretched did they both try to speak. 

“I'm sorry-”

“You really scared me.”

Cassandra sucked in a breath, “I'm sorry.” Repeating the words was all she could do. It almost seemed like she was going to be saying them to him for the rest of her life for so many things. 

“You don't...damnit,” Jake got to his feet and made his way towards her, “You have nothing to be sorry for, I just want you to tell me why.”

“Do you remember that accident last month?” she asked, her gaze never once leaving his, she needed him to understand. 

“Yeah,”

“Well, it wasn't an accident....Actually, it was an accident, just not an accident accident.” Cassandra said the words as sights and smells started to fill her senses, she needed to get this all out, “I lost control.”

Jake stood there, silent, waiting for her to continue.

“You have no idea intoxicating it is, this power. Sometimes, I feel like I can do anything, be anything...maybe, one day I can even cure myself. Could you imagine?” Cassandra paused, she knew she didn't have to try very hard to find the right word, “It's dangerous, Jake. I'm dangerous.”

“You're not-”

“No, don't do that. I am dangerous!” she snapped, “I always have been. Even without magic, I can take you on without even breaking a sweat, I always could. And now...now I'm just afraid of how much some part of me loves it....The power. The knowledge that no one and nothing can hurt me.” 

“That's not who you are Cassie.”

“What if it is?” her voice was so soft, she wasn't even sure if he could hear her, “If you hadn't been there....Jake, if I didn't have to give you up, I might've gone with Dulaque willingly...and that terrifies me.” 

“Maybe you would've...and maybe if Dulaque hadn't been there, you would've gotten the wand and removed your magic.” Jake replied, his voice level as he sat beside her. 

“How did you know?”

“About the wand? I pay attention.” His smile was so bright that it almost made her feel ashamed because who was she to deserve it? “Listen Cassie, we can throw around maybes all day, but that doesn't change what you went there to do. You were put in an impossible situation and you only did what you did to save my life-”

“It didn't work though. If the others-”

“That doesn't matter-”

“Yes it does!” she pushed away from him, upset that he was being so understanding, “I don't even know how to control this. If I wasn't so drained...I don't even know what I could do right now...in this very moment, I could hurt someone again. I could hurt you.” 

Jake reached over and took her hand, pulling her back to him. “I trust you Cassie.” 

“You shouldn't.” she said, her words turning into sobs until she was crying so hard she could barely breathe.

Jake enfolded her in his arms, his fingers rubbing soothing circles across her back while she cried.“We'll figure this out, just like we do with everything else.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine this takes place sometime after Jake and Cassie have totally mended fences as far as the trust thing goes. Lindy talked about it a bit in an interview, basically once that happens, the trust they share will be the stronger for it. 
> 
> Additionally, I borrowed a bit from Willow Rosenberg because if anyone is an Expy for Willow Rosenberg it's Cassandra Cillian. 
> 
> There's too many notes on this, carry on.


	4. Movies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 5 Times Jake and Cassandra Watched Movies, Plus the 1st Time They Watched One as a Couple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a prompt from browneyesparker: Could you do something where Jake and Cassie watch a romantic comedy?
> 
> And, well, it's a lot more than that...mostly because I couldn't think about and/or remember any romantic comedies for some reason, so I ended up writing almost everything else.

**Horror:**

They were staying in a motel, it'd become sort of a thing for them whenever they went on missions in foreign countries. The boys would stay in one room, which would leave Cassie with a room all to herself. It wasn't something Jake was entirely comfortable with especially when they were in the middle of a case.

It was almost midnight and the reason why he was so uncomfortable with this arrangement became apparent when he heard Cassandra screaming.

“What the hell?” Ezekiel mumbled groggily while Jake was already on his feet, pulling open the door that separated their rooms.

“Wha-” Cassandra started when Jake came bursting into her room, closely followed by Ezekiel.

“Are you ok? What happened?” Jake asked hurriedly as he came to stand beside her bed, where she sat with the quilt held up to her chin. Cassandra just pointed to the TV which was playing what appeared to be A Nightmare on Elm Street. He had to fight back a grin at the image of Cassandra, in her Tinkerbell pajama set, pointing at the screen in fear. It was weirdly adorable.

“You've got to be kidding me.” Ezekiel said just before he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

“I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep and I just...got a little scared I guess.”

Jake laughed a little, “Haven't you ever seen this before?”

“No,” Cassandra replied, “My parents weren't very big on movies.”

“Well, alright....try to keep it down ok?” Jake said as he turned to leave.

“Jake,” Cassie reached out for his hand, “Could you stay? Please? Just until the movie is over?”

He only paused for a moment before giving her a slight nod, “Move over.”

Soon they were both settled, Jake on top of the covers and Cassie below them, and he couldn't help that his focus was more on the lack of space between them than on the movie itself. And each time something new scared her, Cassandra would move just a little closer until she was turning her face into Jake's chest to avoid looking at the screen. In those moments, Jake was sure she could feel his racing heart as he wrapped his arm around her.

“Ok, that's ridiculous.” Cassie said when Glen, aka Johnny Depp, was swallowed by his bed, “There's not even that much blood in the human body.”

“A crazy dude is killin' teenagers in their dreams and the thing that bothers you the most is the amount of blood that shots out of this kid's bed?” Jake replied with a laugh, ignoring how his arm tightened around her, “Hell, _he was swallowed by a bed_.”

“His mother can see this though, so it's really happening.” she said as she turned to him with a laugh, “How is that even possible?”

“I don't know, how is magic real?” Cassandra's eye roll was so animated that it only made Jake laugh harder. “It's a movie Cassie. It doesn't have to be possible.”

“I know...it's just gonna bug me.”

They both fell silent after that as she was once again sucked into the action on screen and he was distracted by her hair, which smelled like strawberries, as it tickled his arm.

By the time the credits began to roll, Jake was sure his arm had fallen asleep and it didn't take him long to realize that so had Cassandra. “Cassie,” he whispered which only caused her to wrap herself even more tightly around him, “Cass, I'm gonna go to bed.”

“Stay,” she said quietly as he tried to move out from under her. When her blue eyes opened slowly to look up at him, he almost didn't have the heart to tell her no.

“I don't think that's a good idea.” he replied while the rest of him protested.

“Just tonight,” she continued, “I feel safer with you here.”

With a sigh, Jake pulled up the covers and laid down beside her.

 

** Sci Fi: **

Her hands were full, like extremely full. The type of full that made you wonder why you didn't take that second trip because when, not if, you drop everything the time you thought you were saving would pretty much be wasted. But somehow, she was able to carefully balance not only two styrofoam containers filled with eggs, bacon, toast and hash browns, but everything else she'd brought with her, while knocking on Jake's door at the same time. Once the task was complete and nothing dropped, Cassandra was more than pleased with herself.

“Who is it?” Jake's voice called through the door.

“It's me.” she yelled back only adding her name once she realized that, it's me, wasn't exactly clear.

“The key is under the mat.”

_The key is under the mat...because of course it is._

It took her a moment, but she was soon able to walk into his apartment with everything in hand. Jake sat staring at her from his couch with a look that was somewhere between annoyance and amusement while she set everything on his dining room table. Once everything was out of her hands, Cassie rested them on her hips and stared back, blowing a piece of hair out of her face in the process.

“I brought you breakfast.” she said matter-of-factly before heading into the kitchen.

“All that's breakfast?” he called to her the moment she's out of sight.

“All that is breakfast and snacks and something for lunch and dinner,” she replied reappearing with knives and forks in hand, “And some books from the library-”

“Cassie darlin', I broke my leg is all. I'm not entirely useless.”

She ignored him, placing the utensils and the breakfast containers on his end table, before turning to clear off his recliner. “And I brought Star Wars.”

“Star Wars? All of them?”

“Ew, no.” she wrinkled her nose in disgust, “The original trilogy only. The prequels do not exist as far as I'm concerned....”

Something in her tone made Jake pause for a moment, eyeing her wearily, “You still brought them didn't ya.”

Cassandra stopped cleaning, “I know I shouldn't like them...but they're still Star Wars, Jake. _Star Wars._ ”

“And what made you think I'd want to watch Star Wars?”

“Because it's Star Wars. Everyone likes Star Wars.”

“True that is.” he replied causing Cassandra to grin at him, a gesture that he returned.

“And you sounded absolutely miserable on the phone yesterday and I know these movies always cheer me up, so I figured they'd do the same thing for you.” She disappeared for a moment only to return with drinks.

“I figured you for more of a Trekkie.” Jake said, deciding to go along with this impromptu movie marathon thing she had planned. He literally had nothing but laying on the couch and wallowing in his own misery planned anyway.

“While it's true that they are more scientifically accurate, I mean I don't recall Star Trek ever referring to a parsec as a unit of time instead of distance, I just find Star Wars more appealing overall. I mean, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Obi Wan...they're amazing.”

Jake smiled because only Cassandra, “And your parents were fans too?”

“Yes,” she replied with a smile of her own, finally sitting down before handing him his breakfast. A second later, she realized she'd forgotten the movies and quickly got up to get them. “It was one of the few things they actually let me watch as a kid.”

“Alright, it's what? 10 am? You realize this is gonna be over 12 hours of movie watchin' that you have planned?”

“794 minutes to be exact. Just over 13 hours.” she smiled to herself, “Smells like popcorn.”

“Then lets get started.”

 

** Fantasy: **

She felt like death...though she didn't actually feel like she was dying, she knew what that felt like. No, she simply felt like soon she'd be so unable to breathe that she'd just become some sort of harbinger of death that occasionally ferried people between worlds.

That didn't make sense.

Cassandra suddenly realized that she was spending far too much time with Jake and his mythology texts. Speaking of:

_Sick._

She quickly typed the four letter reply before rolling over on her bed, covering her head with blankets and wishing that she could time travel to some point in the future where the flu didn't exist. Suddenly, her phone rang. Cassandra groaned as a form of greeting.

“Hey kid, you ok?” Jake started and the worry in his voice made her realize how incredibly vague her text had been.

“Flu.” she replied, apparently she was not only typing in monosyllables, she was speaking in them too, wonderful.

Jake let out a tension breaking laugh and Cassandra couldn't help her grin, “D'you need anything?”

“Sleep.” she mumbled already half way there.

“Alright, see you later.”

Later was sometime after her noon breakfast of a piece of dry toast and apple juice and her two o'clock lunch that was simply a bottle of water and Tylenol. Wrapped in a robe and her quilt, bunny slippers on her feet, she answered when he knocked on her door.

“I brought soup, it's my ma's recipe.” Jake said as he stepped around her without invitation. Cassandra was ok with it, the smell of chicken soup seemed to make her feel better almost instantly anyway. She followed the smell and Jake into her kitchen.

“You didn't have to, Jake.” she said, knowing that it must've taken him a few hours to make the soup, “What about work?”

“Once Jenkins found out that both you and Ezekiel were sick, he pretty much kicked me out of the Annex so I wouldn't 'contaminate' anything.” he replied as he pulled bowls out of her cabinet. She didn't quite register when it happened, but apparently they both knew their way around the other's kitchen. The totally domesticity of it made her face warm...or warmer, at least she thought it did, it could've just been her fever.

“How come you're not sick?”

“Strong immune system I guess....Go back to bed, I got this.”

“Thank you,” she sighed as she did what she was told. It wasn't long before Jake came into her bedroom with a tray, that she didn't even know she had, laden with soup and a glass of ginger-ale. She thanked him again as she began to eat said soup. “Jake, this is amazing.”

“Yeah, the recipe is about 80 years old. It always made all us Stone kids feel better and I reckon you could use it.”

“Thank you...again. I think this is probably the best chicken noodle soup that I've ever had and I've had a lot of chicken noodle soup.”

They both fell silent as she concentrated on eating the now famous soup and soon Jake was standing in the middle of her bedroom awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

In the middle of her bedroom...oh god, “Ummm, so-”

“What are you watching?” Jake said, cutting off what was bound to be an extremely awkward statement from her.

“The Lord of the Rings extended editions. I've had them for forever, but I've never had time to watch them so I figured, why not?” she said in a rush, her voice growing increasingly rougher as she paused to have a coughing fit.

When she looked up, Jake's crystal blue eyes were wide with excitement. It was odd until she remember what she was talking about. “I've never seen the extended editions either. There was never a good time....”

“Do you want to stay and watch them with me?” Cassie croaked, “I mean, I wouldn't want you to catch this, but it's up to you.”

Jake left the room for a moment only to return with one of the chairs from her living room and it wasn't exactly a light chair so she knew he was way more excited for this than she initially thought. It was adorable.

Once they were settled, she played the movie, thankful that she was mostly at the beginning anyway.

Of course, Cassandra ended up dozing off every now and then, being sick and all, and yet each time she opened her eyes she'd see Jake just as absorbed as ever in the action on screen. She smiled to herself at the image of a young Jake reading Tolkein and not just marveling at the story, but at all of the detail the author had put into Middle Earth itself. With maps and languages and myths, Jake must've loved it.

There was enough soup to last her the rest of the day, and she wouldn't have had it any other way, while Jake raided her fridge for whatever she had left in there that was edible and he made sure to keep her medicated and hydrated as the marathon continued.

Cassandra fell asleep again sometime near the end of Return of the King, which meant she was going to miss the end of the marathon, but frankly she didn't care. It was only when she felt Jake's lips against her forehead that she awoke.

“Hey,” she said with a sleepy smile, the credits theme playing in the background. She'd have to watch it again tomorrow.

“Sorry,” he replied, “I didn't mean to wake you.”

“Don't...it's sweet.”

Jake smiled down at her, “I think your fever's breakin', but you should probably stay here tomorrow too.”

“Yes, Dr. Stone.” Cassandra said snuggling into her pillow even more, not exactly coherent enough to think of a better reply. She was also a bit too distracted by the memory of how his lips felt against her forehead.

“I'm gonna head out.” he whispered, but she was already sleeping, “Goodnight Cassandra.”

 

** Period Drama: **

Jake had absolutely no idea how this had happened, he did not agree to this. Keira Knightley and whoever it was that played Darcy were dancing on screen and the only thing running through his mind was how much crap he was gonna get if Ezekiel ever found out about this.

(The kid already wouldn't stop with the comments about how he didn't get any chicken noodle soup.)

It also reminded him too much of the mission they'd been on earlier that day and how he held her in his arms while they danced, his heart beating so hard he'd been so sure she could feel it.

“Cassie-” Jake started only for her to shush him and shove popcorn in his mouth in an effort to silence him. She was sitting on the edge of her seat and he could tell that she was too absorbed in what was happening to pay him any attention. So, he chewed his popcorn quietly and waited until Elizabeth and Darcy were done dancing before he tried again, “Cassie, I think I'm gonna head out.”

“What?” she turned to him, eyes wide, “I thought...isn't this a thing now?”

“What?” he replied, not quite knowing what she meant. She was sitting too close and he was having trouble forming his thoughts...she still smelled like strawberries.

“Watching movies together, it's a thing we do now, right?”

He sighed, how the hell had he gotten himself into this? “Well, yeah, but not ones like this.”

“What do you mean 'like this'?” Cassandra replied, not entirely sure where this was coming from. “Is this because it's a girly movie?”

“Yeah it's because it's a girly movie.” Jake said, his arms flailing around slightly.

“Really? Are you embarrassed?”

Jake couldn't be sure how she meant the question, was she curious? Was she offended? This was new and dangerous territory. “No, I just...” He didn't know how to elaborate either because he wasn't sure entirely sure why this was bothering him so much.

“I really didn't think you were this shallow, Jake.” she snapped and clearly offended was the right choice. They'd both gotten to their feet and were standing much closer than he'd like, which meant he's was clearly crazy for taking another step towards her.

“I'm not-I didn't mean it like that.”

“So, you just don't want to watch it with me.”

“Yes!” he shouted back only to regret it once he saw the look on her face, “I mean no. Why are we fightin' about this?”

“I don't know Jake, why are we fighting about this?” she asked quietly with a look that was all too knowing. They were so close now that he only needed to lean in....

Jake hesitated, if only for a second, but it was enough. A moment later she was on the other side of her bedroom door and he was left standing alone in her living room wondering what the hell just happened.

 

** Action: **

“Dude, you should've kissed her.” Ezekiel said, he couldn't help how annoyed he was about this entire thing that Jake and Cassie had going on. It was more than a little bit frustrating when he had to witness them making eyes at each other while they were all on a case.

“We don't make eyes at each other.” Jake said grumpily as he watched Rocky punch his opponent.

Ezekiel was clearly unfazed after having said that last bit out loud. “Oh yes you do. I had to throw a bloody rock at your head the last time just to get your attention.”

“She was hallucinating.”

“No she wasn't, she was wearing a skirt.”

“She's always wearin' a skirt.”

“And you're always staring.”

“Why am I even here right now?” Jake sighed as he rubbed a hand down his face.

“Because you need guy advice and I, Ezekiel Jones ladies' man and thief extraordinaire, am telling you you should've kissed her.” Ezekiel took a drink of his beer and smiled toothily at Jake, reveling in his pain.

*****

“You should've kissed him.” Eve said. Jake had come up to her complaining about how Ezekiel threw a rock at him while they were on a mission and when Ezekiel told her why he'd done it, she honestly couldn't blame him. “The sexual tension between you two is starting to have an affect on your ability to handle cases.”

Cassie's eyes were intent on The Avengers and Thor's arms (Jake's arms weren't much smaller she thought) when she nearly choked on her pretzel, “Sexual tension?! I have no idea-”

“Don't give me that bull. You totally, 100% know what I'm talking about.”

The red head sighed, “I do. I really do.” she groaned loudly and slumped over so she was laying Eve's couch, “I don't know how to handle this.”

“You grab him by the shirt and lay one on him, that's how you handle it and preferably before we all go insane.”

“Let me guess, that's how you handled it with Flynn?”

“Well, yeah.” Eve replied with a nod. “Look, even the library is frustrated by you two or did you forget how it locked you both in a broom closet?”

“I thought...really?” Cassandra couldn't help the unusually high pitch of her voice at the end of the question. They'd been stuck in that closet for hours and both she and Jake had blamed it on everyone else at some point or other.

“Yeah.”

“...Damn.”

*****

“Hey,”

“Hi,” Cassandra said, fidgeting while she stood in her doorway. Jake was standing in front of her and, thankfully, he seemed just as nervous as she was.

“I'm sorry about-”

“Do you want to come in?” she asked the question in an effort to cut off his apology. He had nothing to be sorry for and she just wanted to forget the whole thing happened. It was childish of them both. They were adults, they could deal with this like adults. “I was about to put in a movie.”

Jake laughed as he walked into her apartment, “You're really tryin' to catch up on this whole movie thing aren't ya?”

“Well, when you spend most of your childhood with your head in a book working out mathematical equations...” They were in her kitchen now and Jake gave her a nod of understanding from where he stood leaning against the archway that separated the kitchen from the rest of her apartment. Cassandra swallowed hard and looked away. “Would you like some tea? I was going to make myself a cup of chai, but I think I have earl grey and chamomile. I might possibly have some sleepytime too, but I'm not entirely sure how good it is and I really don't know why you'd want to drink it unless you wanted to get sleepy-”

“Cassandra,” He was beside her, his hand resting gently on her arm, and she was suddenly aware of all the millions of nerve endings that'd come to life beneath her skin, despite the fact that the rational part of her brain was telling her that it was highly unlikely that she was actually feeling his touch everywhere....she felt herself blush.

She could taste chocolate.

“Jake?” she questioned, turning to him slowly, her eyes trained on the floor because she was unsure what she'd find in his.

Jake's hands cupped her face gently, the warmth of his thumbs on her cheeks made her breath hitch, and barely a moment past before her gaze met his. His blue eyes stared into hers for what seemed like forever and it wasn't until he was leaning toward her that she fully realized what was about to happen.

He was tentative at first, his lips soft against hers almost as if he wasn't sure quite sure that this was the best decision, that this was what they both wanted. Once she got over her initial shock, Cassie kissed him back.

In an instant, they were both lost in each other.

She wrapped her fingers around Jake's wrists to keep herself grounded because she felt as if the second he let her go she'd end up floating away. Her grip only tightened as the kiss went on.

When he finally pulled away, their foreheads remained firmly pressed together as they drank in each others' shaky sighs that were quick to turn into shy laughter. Jake's hands traveled down her back until they settled on her waist making Cassandra feel warm all over.

Her senses seemed to be on overload. For a moment, she was sure there was an orchestra playing something fantastically triumphant in the distance as she smiled up at him. He felt red, smelled warm and definitely tasted like the best chocolate she'd ever had. She was surrounded by him.

His nose nudged her's as he pulled Cassandra impossibly closer, “I thought it was about time we did that.” Jake's voice was low and rough, his accent out in full force, and Cassandra would never be able to put into words exactly what that did to her.

So, she grinned at him, unashamed of the fact that she was pretty sure her face matched her hair, “I believe that was a correct assessment Mr. Stone, but in the spirit of science, I do believe more data is needed.”

“So, what you're sayin' is, we need to make out...for science?” he asked, playing along as he walked her backward until she bumped into her counter.

She 'mm hm'ed in reply, wrapping her arms around his neck before pressing her lips to his once more. A moment later, she pulled away with a giggle as he easily lifted her onto the counter so she could sit on the cool tile, her legs wrapping around him as she got to work on the buttons of his shirt.

 

**+1 Romantic Comedy:**

Jake woke up with a face full of red hair and he honestly wouldn't have had it any other way...even though he had to blow a few strands away so he wouldn't end up with a mouthful. He felt as the red head giggled, her fingers drawing circles along his chest, the sensation was what pulled him from sleep in the first place.

Lifting her head, Cassandra turned to him with a smile, “Good morning,”

Jake caught her lips in a shearing kiss before he replied with a 'Good mornin'' of his own. It wasn't long before she was pinned underneath him and any thought of starting their day was forgotten.

Around eleven Jake got up to make breakfast, because if he didn't they'd most likely forget about food all together, and when he returned with omelettes and orange juice, Cassie (clothed in nothing but his t-shirt) was curled in a ball like a lazy cat on her newly stripped bed, her eyes glued to the TV while the washer hummed through out the apartment.

Jake stood half naked in the middle of her bedroom with food, yet she was still watching Tom Hanks as he typed on an old laptop. “Ooook,” he muttered to himself before taking a seat next to her.

“Shhhh,” she whispered, her position never once changing. Jake subtly set her plate and fork in front of her with the hope that she'd eat before it got cold.

“So,” Jake said once a commercial break started, “You've Got Mail?”

Cassandra brought up the guide, “Yes, wait how did you know that?”

Jake blushed and cleared his throat, “I...ummm-”

“Oh my God,” Cassandra's eyes went wide, “Jake Stone, you _do_ secretly like girly movies.”

“Alright fine, maybe I do.”

She poked him playfully in the stomach, “You just don't like watching them with anyone around. I bet you love lifetime.”

“Hey, I never said that. I just don't like watchin' 'em while I'm tryin' to ignore the fact that I'm in love with the girl sittin' next to me.”

“What?”

“What?” _That did not just come out of my mouth_ , Jake thought to himself before taking another bite of his omelette with the hope that the mouthful of food would save him from having to repeat what he just said.

Cassie eyed him suspiciously before turning back to watch the rest of the movie. Sometime later, she smiled to herself when Tom Hanks visited a sick Meg Ryan, remembering when Jake did the same.

Once they finished breakfast and the plates were no longer in their way, they watched the rest of the movie while wrapped up in each other as Tom and Meg's characters grew closer, moving from adversaries, to friends and then to something just a little more than that.

At one point Jake nuzzled her neck, his fingers moving her messy hair to the side, only for her to lightly slap the hand he had around her waist and yell him for distracting her.

Eventually, as movie began to draw to a close, Jake was suddenly made aware of Cassandra's sniffles while Kathleen Kelly, aka Meg Ryan, stood in the middle of a garden in New York.

“Are you crying?” he whispered near her ear, holding her tighter despite the laughter in his voice.

“Shut up.”

 _“Don't cry Shopgirl, don't cry.”_ Joe Fox's words tumbled from the screen carrying inspiration with them.

Jake smiled to himself, “Don't cry Mathgirl, don't cry.”

“You are really not helping,” Cassandra replied, her eyes never leaving the tv.

 _“I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly.”_ Kathleen's reply was met with a loud tearful squeal from Cassie that caused Jake to rest his head against her shoulder to keep himself from laughing too hard.

Once the couple kissed and 'The End' was typed among the clouds, Cassandra turned to Jake and kissed him soundly, her fingers threading through his hair. Pulling away she whispered softly, “I love you too.”

“Yeah?” he replied even as he leaned back so she could straddle him.

“Yep,” she said, the p popping just before she kissed him. Unfortunately for Jake, Cassandra quickly slid off of him and began walking away from the bed, her giggle causing him to let out a groan of frustration. “I'm going to shower.” her voice was light as she opened the door to her small bathroom. Jake watched as she turned the water on, making sure it was the right temperature before she removed his shirt and got in.

A moment later, Jake joined her.


End file.
